Deaths Reported From Infant Child Monitors — Recall Issued

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled nearly 2 million baby monitors due to the risk of infant strangulation by the monitors’ electrical cords. The CPCS initiated the recall due to seven cases of infant strangulation in recent months.
The reported injuries and deaths include:
A 10 month-old Washington, D.C. infant died in March when she became tangled in the camera cord of a Summer infant monitor. The monitor camera had been attached to the top rail of her crib;
In November of last year, a 6 month-old South Carolinia baby was also killed by baby monitor cord strangulation after the monitor was placed on the changing table attached to his crib;
A baby in Pittsburg was found in his crib with a baby monitor camera cord wrapped around his neck. The monitor had been mounted to the wall, however, the infant was able to reach the cord. He was found early enough to escape serious injury.
To ensure that no more strangulation deaths occur, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairperson Inez Tenenbaum issued a statement urging parents and caregivers to put at least 3 feet between any video or audio baby monitor cords and a child in a crib.
The recalled baby monitors were manufactured in China and sold at major retailers, mass merchandisers and children’s product stores nationwide between January 2003 and January 2011.
The manufacturer, Woonsocket, R.I. based Summer Infant, has recalled approximately 1.7 million baby monitors including 40 different models including color, handheld, and digital video monitors. All the recalled monitors are composed of two components: the cameras that are placed in the baby’s room and the hand held device which relays sound and/or video to the caregiver.
Summer Infant is also recalling rechargeable batteries sold with “Slim and Secure Video Monitors” as the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that the monitor batteries may overheat and rupture.
Nearly 58,000 “Slim and Secure Video Monitors” were sold at Babies R Us in 2009 and 2010. There are currently five reported cases of ruptured Summer Infant “Slim and Secure Video Monitor” batteries, though no injuries have been reported.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission website, www.cpsc.gov, states that as a consequence of the recall, Summer Infant has initiated a campaign to provide new product labels stating precautions and safety instructions for the electrical cords on all the recalled baby monitors.